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Military History
Military History May 28, 2023

Brotherhood of the Flying Coffin

The Glider Pilots of World War II

Scott McGaugh

Hosted by AJ Woodhams
This book distills war down to individual young men climbing into defenseless gliders made of plywood, ready to trust the towing aircraft that would pull them into enemy territory by …

Military History

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Interviews with scholars of military history about their new books.

Madison's Notes May 27, 2023

Strategy and Saratoga

A Conversation with Kevin Weddle

Kevin Weddle

Hosted by Annika Nordquist
At the Battle of Saratoga, the tide of the Revolutionary War turned in favor of unlikely victors: the American patriots. What were the major strategy elements at play in the …
Military History May 23, 2023

Dünkirchen 1940

The German View of Dunkirk

Robert Kershaw

Hosted by Stephen Satkiewicz
The surprise success of the German offensive in the West that commenced on May 10, 1940 caught the Allies completely off-guard, and France would soon capitulate to the Germans in …
Military History May 23, 2023

The Rise of the Military Entrepreneur

War, Diplomacy, and Knowledge in Habsburg Europe

Suzanne Sutherland

Hosted by Douglas Bell
In The Rise of the Military Entrepreneur: War, Diplomacy, and Knowledge in Habsburg Europe (Cornell UP, 2022), Suzanne Sutherland explores the role of the military entrepreneur and explains how these international …
Military History May 22, 2023

A Stranger in Your Own City

Travels in the Middle East's Long War

Ghaith Abdul-Ahad

Hosted by AJ Woodhams
The history of reportage has often depended on outsiders--Ryszard Kapuściński witnessing the fall of the shah in Iran, Frances FitzGerald observing the aftermath of the American war in Vietnam. What …
Military History May 20, 2023

Dagger Fencing

The Italian School

Carlo Parisi

Hosted by Boris Karpa
Today, fighting with dagger versus dagger, or with knife versus knife, is not a common scenario that people might expect to face. However, it was more common in the Middle …
Jewish Studies May 19, 2023

Romania and the Holocaust

Events, Contexts, Aftermath

Simon Geissbühler

Hosted by Ari Barbalat
From summer 1941 onwards, Romania actively pursued at its own initiative the mass killing of Jews in the territories it controlled. 1941 saw 13,000 Jewish residents of the Romanian city …
Military History May 17, 2023

Age of Danger

Keeping America Safe in an Era of New Superpowers, New Weapons, and New Threats

Thom Shanker and Andrew Hoehn

Hosted by AJ Woodhams
Again and again, American taxpayers are asked to open their wallets and pay for a national security machine that costs $1 trillion operate. Yet time and time again, the US …
European Politics May 12, 2023

The Russo-Ukrainian War

The Return of History

Serhii Plokhy

Hosted by Tim Jones
"The Ukrainian nation will emerge from this war more united and certain of its identity than at any other point in its modern history," writes Serhii Plokhy at the end of …
Madison's Notes May 11, 2023

The Life and Legacy of Robert E. Lee

A Conversation with Allen C. Guelzo

Allen C. Guelzo

Hosted by Annika Nordquist
Why should we study Robert E. Lee? Why did he make the fateful decision to betray his country? How should we judge Robert E. Lee? Allen C. Guelzo, Director of …
Military History May 7, 2023

Rise of the Mavericks

The U.S. Air Force Security Service and the Cold War

Philip Clayton Shackelford

Hosted by Stephen Satkiewicz
The U.S. Air Force had to struggle to establish itself as an independent branch of the American military, and originally was an extension of the Army. The experiences during World …
Military History May 6, 2023

Vietnam Combat

Firefights and Writing History

Robin Bartlett

Hosted by Boris Karpa
Today I talked to Robin Bartlett about his new book Vietnam Combat: Firefights and Writing History (Casemate, 2023). The year 1968 was arguably the most significant year of the war. It was …
Military History May 5, 2023

Putin's Wars

From Chechnya to Ukraine

Mark Galeotti

Hosted by AJ Woodhams
Mark Galeotti's book Putin's Wars: From Chechnya to Ukraine (Bloomsbury, 2022) is a timely overview of the conflicts in which Russia has been involved since Vladimir Putin became prime minister and …
African American Studies May 5, 2023

The Wounded World

W. E. B. Du Bois and the First World War

Chad Williams

Hosted by Deidre Tyler
When W. E. B. Du Bois, believing in the possibility of full citizenship and democratic change, encouraged African Americans to "close ranks" and support the Allied cause in World War …
Military History May 2, 2023

Flying Camelot

The F-15, the F-16, and the Weaponization of Fighter Pilot Nostalgia

Michael W. Hankins

Hosted by Boris Karpa
Flying Camelot: The F-15, the F-16, and the Weaponization of Fighter Pilot Nostalgia (Cornell UP, 2021) brings us back to the post-Vietnam era, when the US Air Force launched two …
British Studies May 2, 2023

A Mighty Fleet and the King's Power

The Isle of Man, AD 400 To 1265

Tim Clarkson

Hosted by Miranda Melcher
Situated in the middle of the Irish Sea, the Isle of Man is like a stepping-stone between the lands that surround it. In medieval times, it played an important role …
Political Science May 1, 2023

Deploying Feminism

The Role of Gender in NATO Military Operations

Stéfanie von Hlatky

Hosted by Susan Liebell
In 1995, the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing launched the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda. Successive UN Security Council resolutions highlighted the need to include more women …
French Studies May 1, 2023

Marianne Is Watching

Intelligence, Counterintelligence, and the Origins of the French Surveillance State

Deborah Bauer

Hosted by Stephen Satkiewicz
In the wake of its defeat in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71), the French Third Republic sought to rebuild its strength to avenge its defeat and secure itself as a major …
Military History April 29, 2023

The Vortex

A True Story of History's Deadliest Storm, an Unspeakable War, and Liberation

Scott Carney and Jason Miklian

Hosted by AJ Woodhams
In November 1970, a storm set a collision course with the most densely populated coastline on Earth. Over the course of just a few hours, the Great Bhola Cyclone would …
General History April 28, 2023

Conquer We Must

A Military History of Britain, 1914-1945

Robin Prior

Hosted by Charles Coutinho
The First and Second World Wars were separated by a mere two decades, making the period 1914-1945 an unprecedentedly intense and violent era of history. But how did Britain develop …